December 2, 2008
At some point in our careers as human resource professionals we run into employees who are hesitant to share personal information with us. As HR pros that makes us want to laugh and scream at the same time.
We have access to more information about you than your spouse probably knows. We have your name, birth date, social security number, address, past addresses, names of dependents, dependents birth dates, dependent’s social security numbers, marriage license, spouse’s name, spouse’s social history, spouse’s birth date, wage history, health insurance member number, credit history, driving record history, criminal history, college transcripts, disability history, certification numbers, etc., etc., etc.
We could take over your whole life. Adding one more piece of information to the mix doesn’t make a bit of difference to us because we just don’t care. We’re not out to get you. We’re not going to share your personal information with anyone. We’re not going to steal your identity. We don’t care about this information about you. Information may be power but in this case your information is safe.
1 Comment | 
HR Profession | 
Permalink
Posted by Rachel Robbins
December 1, 2008
The following is a question posted in response my post about how to leave a job you haven’t worked at for long:
What happens when you are hired for a seasonal position that you are unhappy with? Unhappy to the point that you are not getting enough hours and are having difficulty paying rent. The problem here is that I can not afford to work inconsistent hours for another two weeks to give proper notice. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I guess I have more questions to this one than answers. First, what seasonal job did you think you were going to get consistent hours and enough money to pay rent from? I’ve have a bridge I’d like to sell you. Second, how is quitting that job at the drop of a hat going to get you enough money to pay rent?
If you have another job setup that you could get more hours from if you ditched the second job then quit. If not then you should give two weeks notice. Even if it means offering to work less hours you should make yourself appear to want to try and help them. The last two weeks shouldn’t be so bad. Things usually get brighter once you have an end date.
Either way if you leave a seasonal (ie. temporary) job before the time alloted is finished you’re not going to have a good chance at leaving a positive impression. The best thing you can do is to give notice.
No Comments » | 
Work Life | Tagged: voluntary termination | 
Permalink
Posted by Rachel Robbins
November 27, 2008
Today is the day that every blogger writes a boring post about how they’re thankful for their family, friends, job, etc. Forget that. Let me tell you what I’m truly thankful for.
- Having a second dog to play with the first.
- The copious amount of food at work.
- Embarrassing knowledge about my friends (you know what I’m talking about.)
- Lost returns soon.
- Employees that I never see or hear from.
Edit: Number 6 is gas prices. If you had told me a year ago that gas prices would be this low again I would have laughed at you and called you an idiot.
1 Comment | Real Life | Permalink
Posted by Rachel Robbins
November 25, 2008
HR Minion complained the other day about employees letting their personal lives get in the way of their work. I am guilty as charged.
I’ve learned over the past few months that dating is detrimental to work performance. When you’re “looking for love” you tend to put that before everything else. Sure you still go through the motions and come into work on time. But there are other smaller decisions that eat away at your work performance. Maybe you stay out late on a work night to go on a date knowing that you’ll be exhausted at work tomorrow. Or you spend your day thinking about your date and the future of the relationship. Or, even worse, you bring down the productivity of your coworkers by taking to them about your adventures in dating.
Now imagine how much worse if would be if you dated a coworker! HR’s distaste for employee’s having relationships with each other is not just us trying to ruin your day or preventing sexual harassment lawsuits, there are actual losses to the company when you live in lala land.
Luckily, the government has at least allowed heterosexual individuals to marry and thus kill the happiness that ruins work productivity. If only homosexuals were given the same rights.
7 Comments | 
Real Life | Tagged: dating, productivity | 
Permalink
Posted by Rachel Robbins
November 24, 2008
Once upon a time there was a girl who decicded it was time to search for a new job. She prepared her resume and polished up her interview skills in preparation for the job search market. But, hardtimes came and the job postings dwindled.
After weeks of seeing nothing to apply for she awoke one day to find that a fitting job had been posted. Instead of excitement she felt indifferent. She hesistanted about sending her resume. The job looked fine. There were no red flags. She couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t overjoyed.
Then she realized that while she waited for a new job to be posted she had psychologically fallen out of the job search market. She had stopped obsessively scouring the world for job postings. She had stopped searching for ways to improve her resume and she had stopped preparing for interviews.
The comfort of having a current job in a volitle market and the lack of options had made her a lazy candidate. She decided that she must change her attitude and put her mind back on the job market because the outside world will go up soon enough but her current situation won’t.
2 Comments | Recruitment | Tagged: Job Search | Permalink
Posted by Rachel Robbins
November 20, 2008
I want to give a shout out to Brazen Careerist. Today they went through a major upgrade and changed the future of the site.
When it started I was skeptical myself but with my carefree attitude I signed up to be a member. Now months later I can say that I am truly proud of what these individuals have accomplished. If you’re an avid reader of Penelope Trunk’s blog you’ll know that it’s been a tough road but with all of the great changes I’ve seen I want to commend the creators and the writers at Brazen Careerist for their wonderful work.
No Comments » | Blogging | Tagged: brazen careerist, social networking | Permalink
Posted by Rachel Robbins
November 19, 2008
Usually I leave leadership topics up to the experts, but there is one common leadership mistake that I feel compeled to write about.
This mistake can
- Make others lose respect for you.
- Make others fear you.
- Make you look like a hothead.
- Make you look like a bully.
- Lower your team’s morale.
Given the consequences you probably wouldn’t want to make this mistake. And yet, in most of the companies I have worked for I have witnessed leaders make this mistake. I have even been on the receiving end of this mistake. The mistake is to yell at an employee in front of others. There is never a case when this is acceptable.
Sure, the employee may have done something wrong. But discipline should be done in private. A great leader is one who rises above the heat of the moment and resists the urge to lower themselves to this behavior.
Your employees aren’t going to remember or care about what the employee did, they’re going to remember how you reacted inappropriately. They may even sympathize with the victim of your yelling. They may remember a time when another leader did the same to them and offer support to the victim.
No apology can take back such a mistake. No amount of righteousness makes it okay. Lead with your mind not your impulses.
3 Comments | Management Practices | Tagged: leadership, Management | Permalink
Posted by Rachel Robbins
November 19, 2008
An hour before you go you debate over your clothes. Are those the right shoes? Is this the right outfit? You change into several combinations trying to find the right outfit. What if you’re overdressed? You don’t want to be overdressed or under dressed. What about your cologne/perfume. Did you put too much on?
On the way there you watch the clock. You don’t want to be late. Of course you already mapped the route out but you never know what might happen. There better not be traffic. What will you talk about?
You get there. You wipe your hands on your pants. You don’t want to have sweaty palms. You don’t want to appear nervous. You want to show that you’re confident. What do you say? How do you answer the questions? You don’t want to bring up anything negative in your past? You want to pretend to be the best you.
After you leave you replay every second of the conversation. Did you talk too much? Did you talk too little? Should you have said that? What did that comment mean? Will you hear anything from them again? Should you make contact first? Maybe you should wait a couple of days. The anxiety increases as the minutes, hours, and days go by without word.
So, did you just have a first date or go to a first round interview. I’ve said it many times and others have as well that being in the job search market is like being in the world of dating. If you’re not a good at interview preparation it might help to view an interview as a date (if that happens to be more familiar territory for you).
No Comments » | Recruitment | Tagged: interviewing | Permalink
Posted by Rachel Robbins
November 12, 2008
I’m knee deep in open enrollment right now. I’m always amazed at how little employees know about Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). FSAs can be great for employees as long as they’re used properly.
- Submit your Claims - If you don’t have a flexcard it’s up to you to submit your claims. It seems simple but it’s easy to forget. If your spouse isn’t generally good about paying bills perhaps you should take over the submission process.
- Save your Receipts - The IRS can always audit you to make sure the claims you submitted are accurate. Important note here: don’t try to cheat the system by submitting false claims or claims for individuals not covered under you.
- Track your Usage - It’s important to know throughout the year what you’ve used and what you haven’t. This will stop you from stocking up on boxes of aspirin on December 31st to use up what’s left.
- Estimate Low - FSAs work on a use it or lose it system. If it’s your first year using an FSA then estimate low so you don’t end up losing money. The same goes for major procedures you might be planning.
Life would be great if we could put everything on an FSA account. I’d love to pay off my new tv without interest directly from my paycheck but I guess for now I’ll stick to paying off my glasses.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: flexible spending accounts | Permalink
Posted by Rachel Robbins
